Murder, Mercy: Retributive Justice and Restorative Justice

THE CASE STUDY OF MURDER AND MERCY
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The Case Study of Murder and Mercy
Background of Case Study
In the case study provided, “Murder and Mercy”, the story of the brutal death of a British Columbian teen named Reena Virk. On the day of her death, Virk was lured to a secluded area and beaten by a group of teens, among them included Ellard. An autopsy clearly revealed that Virk was covered in several bruises and had cigarette burns on her forehead. For Virk’s parents, the Supreme Court’s ruling ended into a painful long legal journey that took closer to a decade. The author of the material clearly points on how Virk’s parents, Suman and Manjit did what was considered as unthinkable by forgiving one of the killers of their daughter, a journey that clearly depicts the essence of restorative justice.
After the death of their daughter, Suman, the mother of three is seen speaking to Glowatski who was convicted for the murder of her 14-year-old daughter. Following her daughter’s death, Suman may have been destroyed by the helplessness, rage, and sorrow, but found a city in which warm conversations helped in the healing process. In this regard, it is essential to consider that Suman’s conversation with one of her daughter’s killers is perceived as a remarkable story of resilience and compassion and a testament of the manner in which people have the capacity to triumph over the rage of extraordinary tragedies and violence (Veale, 2013). This paper therefore seeks to conduct a study aimed at revealing the meaning of Restorative Justice in modern society. On the other hand, the paper will conduct a comparison of the major differences between Retributive Justice and Restorative Justice and elaborate the use of Restorative Justice through various illustrations from the case study provided.
The Meaning of Restorative Justice in Modern Society
According to Goodstein& Butterfield (2010), restorative justice is considered as an approach to justice that ensures that crime is personalized by having the offenders and victims mediate through restituted agreements to their satisfaction, an aspect that involves the community as well. In other words, it is essential to consider that restorative justice is an approach of viewing justice by putting emphasis on repairing the harms caused by a crime or conflict, as evident in the case of the brutal death of a British Columbian teen named Reena Virk. Given this, it is essential to consider that crime is understood through this approach as a violation of relationships and people, an aspect that disrupts the peace within the community (Van Camp & Wemmers, 2016). Restorative justice, therefore, provides an inclusivity and collaboration between the participants or offenders in a crime to the community affected by the crime with the aim of finding a lasting solution that seeks to repair the harms caused and promote unity and cohesion within the community.
Toews (2013) posits that the underlying values of restorative justice processes are based on the respect for the dignity of the individuals affected by a crime or dispute. In this regard, priority is granted to the need to address the human needs of the involv...